


Now Take It from The Top

by willowsandwonders



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Meteorstuck, Retcon Timeline, a bit of god tier powers meta, all the other meteor relationships are there/developing just not the main focus, my house my rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowsandwonders/pseuds/willowsandwonders
Summary: Dave’s been on the meteor for two weeks when he sends the message to Rose.TG: how much do you rememberTT: Ah. That.Or, retcons aren't a perfect reset, and Dave remembers more about the old timeline than he should. Obviously he doesn't freak about it or anything, he just casually asks every single person on the meteor about it. Totally a chill thing to do. It's fine.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 16
Kudos: 109





	Now Take It from The Top

Dave’s been on the meteor for two weeks when he sends the message to Rose.

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] started pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] \--

TG: hey

TT: To borrow a word from you: 

TT: sup?

TG: god damn were gonna be like those twins from the shining by the end of this 

TG: speaking in unison and shit 

TG: theres all kinds of creepy hallways here too i guess the game was looking out for us big time

TT: Please, I’m sure we can do even better than that. 

TT: Standing at the end of the hallway and speaking in unison is amateur hour, considering there is quite literally a clown that lives in our ventilation system, one that I hear collects severed heads from murdered corpses. 

TT: We’ll have to go big, if we truly want to scare any of our delightful new friends.

TT: Also, this is stupid. 

TT: Not to cut our evil machinations for the future short, but may I ask why you’re messaging me? I was in the middle of something, and if it’s not urgent, I would like to get back to it.

TG: “something”

TG: with that subtle as fuck phrasing i would definitely never assume you were anywhere NEAR a hot glowing vampire babe right now

TT: Truly, your subtlety knows no bounds.

TT: Is it possible, that maybe, just maybe, you could be implying that you find Kanaya attractive?

TG: what no

TG: i thought that was your territory

TG: im not trying to get in the way of whatever weird shit yall get up to with your smirking and lipstick and your uh

TG: girlness

TT: Wow.

TT: They really do raise them right in Texas, it seems. 

TG: god dammit 

TG: i just had one question how the fuck did we get this far off track already

TT: Us, getting off track? 

TT: And here I am, having not even alchemized myself a fainting couch. 

TG: just

TG: ... 

TG: how much do you remember

TT: Ah. That.

TG: okay so im not going completely fucking crazy here

TT: No, you’re certainly not.

TT: But to answer your question, I’m...not entirely sure.

TG: isnt being sure like your whole thing

TG: youre literally the god of knowing stuff now

TT: While it’s true that both Seers and Light players seem to be associated with knowledge, bear in mind that I only suddenly and violently exploded into the “god of knowing stuff” a mere two weeks ago.

TT: And also that you, a Knight of Time, remember something as well, so this is clearly not a Seer of Light exclusive event. 

TG: you said you werent entirely sure

TG: so what are you kind of sure about

TT: It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’m sure that just makes you more curious, not less.

TG: yeah 

TG: youve trained me well

TT: Wow.

TT: In better days, I could’ve had a field day with that one. 

TT: But I digress.

TT: I mostly just remember, well...

TT: You.

TG: me??

TG: weird 

TG: cause i dont remember that much about you

TG: like maybe other timeline you not like YOU you holy shit

TG: i didnt just wipe your existence from my brain that would be all kinds of fucked up 

TG: christ thats the kind of crappy prank john would pull 

TG: all wait who the fuck are you hehe except he cant lie for shit and hes literally video calling you right that second

TG: like you cant really do a prank like that when he literally called you directly theres no way to fall ass backwards into a private skype call with a stranger its not like we bumped into each other in the street shitty movie style

TT: I miss John. 

TT: So, so much. It’s almost unbearable.

TG: whoa

TG: its only been like

TG: two weeks 

TG: you dont have to have a big pussy freakout over it

TT: Phrasing, Dave.

TT: You also don’t have to lash out and shift your overly critical self-dialogue outwards as a defense mechanism. 

TT: What I was going to explain, before you reminded me that I shouldn’t have or express my feelings, is that thinking about John forces me to remember things about the old timeline. 

TT: I miss him, as my present self, because not only has it been a long time since two whole weeks lapsed without me talking to him, but also because I recognize that this is only the beginning of a very long separation.

TT: However, I also, in an oddly dissonant way, miss him terribly.

TT: It aches, in a far different way, but the specific memories remain murky.

TT: It’s as if I’m trying to remember a particularly vivid dream.

TG: yikes

TG: i guess i kinda jumped the gun on completely shitting on you

TG: my bad 

TG: not trying to knock your i saw it in a dream john angst 

TG: fuck im blowing this

TT: Your apology is accepted.

TT: But only because of your offering of another line I can add to my hoard of tragically phrased out of context messages from you. 

TG: ignoring that

TG: i kinda get what youre saying though

TG: not to sound super fucking uncool but

TG: me too

TG: i knew i would miss the guy obviously

TG: bffls and all that

TG: but it feels like its been years since ive seen him

TG: except thats just weird other timeline memories and those are always really vague for me

TG: usually just enough to keep me from doing the same thing over and fucking over if there arent other daves around to tell me whats up

TG: fuck time travel seriously 

TG: you said you remembered me though

TG: what did uh

TG: what do you remember

TG: cause i get a tiny bit of dissonance from you but not as much as with john 

TT: I’ll tell you, if you can promise me one thing.

TG: depends on what it is 

TT: We aren’t going to get anywhere in this conversation if we have to dodge anything “real.” 

TT: So I’m calling for a temporary suspension of, dare I utter it, our mutual, either comedic or breathtakingly sad, dance that we perform in every conversation. 

TT: The one where we have to craft ten layers of bullshit before genuine sentiment can be hidden beneath them.

TT: You know the one. 

TG: i guess 

TT: Because I’m about to talk about your feelings, Dave. And perhaps my own. 

TT: And that won’t work if you keep trying to drop verbal smoke bombs to wriggle your way out of it. 

TG: i mean i was just trying to figure out if we stumbled ass backwards into another doomed timeline here 

TG: i didnt realize we were getting this serious

TT: Presumably, my visions present the “luckiest” timeline, which, knowing the nature of this game, would be the alpha timeline, as it guarantees the game’s progression.

TT: And since we’re on track with my former visions, and I’m still receiving more, we can assume that, presently, we are still in the alpha timeline. 

TT: So for now don’t worry about doomed timelines.

TT: But do we have a deal?

TT: I’ll try to explain everything as clearly as I can, with minimal probes into your psyche, scout’s honor. 

TT: And I hope that you’ll do the same, and perhaps between the two of us we can figure out what the hell went on. 

TG: sure

TG: youve got a deal

TG: hit me with my own feelings

TT: I remember how upset you were.

TG: huh 

TT: And my own grief, as well. 

TT: The sharpest pain is when I try to recall the moment that we realized everything had gone terribly wrong.

TT: Wrong in a way that we could never truly fix. 

TT: Though we both tried, to our own destruction. 

TG: damn 

TG: i guess i dont remember any of that from you 

TG: but i keep getting weird other dave memories

TG: like earlier when you were fucking around with the alchemiter

TG: present alive me was like fuck yeah rose is finally trying to make me some apple juice shes my goddamn hero

TG: but then i also got the overwhelming urge to just fucking full body tackle you

TG: so take that as a warning from future/past/doomed dave i guess 

TT: I’ll take that under advisement. 

TG: no you wont 

TT: I also remember you crying.

TG: wait what the fuck

TT: There isn’t much more to that specific memory. 

TT: But I didn’t have most of these memories until after I god-tiered, and I’m still working on sifting through all of it. 

TT: It’s possible that I could force more of them, once I’m better at controlling my powers. 

TG: yeah i didnt feel any of this until god tiering either

TG: i thought it was the meteor at first 

TG: but guess what we did literally five minutes before getting on the meteor

TT: It would make sense.

TT: As a Light player and a Seer, it would track that my powers would offer me more clarity in this situation. 

TT: And for you, a god-tiered Time player would absolutely need to avoid the mistakes doomed Daves made, so remembering bits and pieces of other timelines makes sense, even if you didn’t technically live through them yourself. 

TG: sure

TG: what about the trolls though 

TG: vriska has fucking wings or at least she did when we got here so she definitely god tiered

TG: and there was that other time player 

TG: the chick who fucked off into space with the ghost dude

TT: I was under the impression that he was only half ghost. 

TG: what are all their god tiers anyway

TG: do you think any of them remember shit

TT: Vriska is a Thief of Light, Terezi is a Seer of Mind, Kanaya is a Sylph of Space, Gamzee is a Bard of Rage, and Karkat is a Knight of Blood. 

TG: gamzee is the juggalo right

TT: That’s the one.

TG: damn i guess the rage part answers some questions 

TG: funny story one time i pissed him off really bad 

TG: i saw that some weird clown guy started trolling me about his bullshit honking religion and i linked him an icp video

TG: which was fucking hilarious 

TG: but chronologically cause ive got an annoyingly good sense for that shit now

TG: i think that was right before he like

TG: went completely insane

TT: Yikes. 

TG: anyway aside from the fact that im probably partly responsible for at least a few of those violent murders

TG: yikes dont show that message to terezi shell fucking hang me probably 

TG: but what do blood powers do

TG: ive got the knight shit on lockdown but thats a weird fucking aspect 

TT: Unfortunately, even after we compared notes, that remains a bit of a gray area. 

TT: All of the trolls killed their denizens before speaking with them, and other than the frog breeding, I believe most of them neglected their “main quests” so to speak. 

TT: So I don’t believe Karkat learned much, or anything, about his game powers, though he seemed to take great offense when I insinuated as such. 

TG: fucking figures

TG: theres gotta be something going on there though

TG: cause i can barely even look at him

TT: Wait, what do you mean? 

TG: you seriously havent felt it with any of the trolls

TG: like kanaya isnt so bad she just feels way more familiar than she should considering i never even talked to her until we got here

TG: shes chill though shes fine

TG: thinking about the clown just makes me real fucking nervous but i dont know how much of that i can even blame on timeline shit 

TG: terezi is

TG: ugh

TG: i dont even want to get into all that right now 

TG: vriska is awful not because of any weird dissonance but because theres NOTHING

TG: like i dont remember anything about her and its really freaking me out when i know stuff about literally everyone else albeit in a really weird vague way

TG: and shes just a void

TG: a really dangerous void that i think killed at least one of her friends 

TG: i kinda lost track of who murdered who 

TG: but yeah karkat just fucking hurts to look at tbh

TG: god i sound like such a baby 

TG: maybe he did something really fucking bad in the other timeline or something

TG: but no he wouldnt do that

TG: and i dont know why i KNOW that he wouldnt 

TG: hes fucking annoying and im pretty sure weve never had a single normal conversation

TG: but i still get nervous when i dont know where he is 

TG: and i open my mouth to say shit to him that i would never actually say

TG: and i havent hung out with him in two weeks which makes me feel like shit 

TG: but also ive literally never spent one on one time with him in my life and i dont fucking want to

TG: its so fucking weird 

TG: maybe all of this will go away once we steer off course from whatever the old doomed timeline was

TG: it mustve been pretty bad if fixing it went back this far

TG: cause yeah thats the other thing

TG: it feels like ive known karkat for years

TG: like as long as ive known you and john and jade

TG: except i dont actually know anything about him at all and i cant chill around him or anything

TG: it just feels like

TG: im supposed to

TG: i dont know

TT: Dave...

TT: I thought that the trolls stopped messaging us after John died?

TG: what 

TT: Now that I think about it, I doubt Trollian would even allow them to contact doomed timelines in the first place.

TT: And even if they could, I believe it was only a few months before you went back. 

TT: Not years.

TG: whoah wait are you talking about the timeline davesprites from??

TT: Yes?

TG: yeah i dont really remember shit from that 

TG: davesprite was super on top of making that disaster not happen

TG: i think i got a little bit of it dreamself ways because we spent so much time on derse in that timeline

TG: but we werent exactly partying it up in there i try not to think about it a lot 

TT: Before he went back, Davesprite told me that parts of my dreamself might carry over to the new timeline. 

TT: And he must have been right, since I find myself in possession of some of her memories, both of dreaming on Derse and of her waking self on LOLAR. 

TT: But that’s all it is, memories from someone who, chronologically, never existed. 

TT: Can I ask what the hell *you’re* talking about?

TG: uh 

TG: you really dont feel anything weird about like

TG: the timeline were in right now

TG: like for real

TT: Yes, “for real.” 

TT: One moment, let me do some asking around. 

\---

Rose sends an apologetic goodbye to Kanaya, and closes their chat window. She doubts she’ll be getting back to her any time soon, and their comparative analysis of Alternian rainbow drinkers and Earth vampires ranks lower in urgency than timeline concerns.

\-- tentacleTherapist [TT] started pestering strategy sisters!!!!!!!! --

TT: Sorry to bother you both out of the blue, but I have a few pressing questions about timelines. 

TT: This one, specifically.

TT: Terezi, you said that John “retconned” this timeline, as per your alternate future self’s instructions, correct? 

GC: TH4TS CORR3CT

TT: Do you remember, specifically, what he changed?

GC: W3LL H3 L3FT 4 M3SS4G3 FOR M3 WH1L3 1 W4S 1N TH3 G4M3

GC: 4ND 1 KNOW H3 STOPP3D M3 FROM K1LL1NG VR1SK4

AG: ::::)

GC: >:]

GC: H3 H4D MOR3 1NSTRUCT1ONS WR1TT3N ON 4 SC4RF 1 G4V3 H1M BUT H3 WOULDNT G1V3 1T TO M3 >:[ 

GC: H3 OFF3R3D TO SHOW TH3M TO K4RK4T BUT H3 W4S TOO BUSY FL1PP1NG H1S SH1T TO R34D TH3M

GC: SO W3 WONT KNOW MOR3 UNT1L W3 C4N G3T OUR CL4WS ON 3GB3RT 4G41N

AG: He pro8a8lyyy won’t 8e in the dream88u8les, 8ut there are some workarounds for that!

AG: All this timeline meddling must have left sooome ghosts, right?

TT: I suppose one way or another, we’ll find out when we start hitting the bubbles in a few months.

TT: Or as you two would call them, perigees. 

TT: But that leads me to my next question, do any of you have any memories from other timelines?

TT: Personally, both my dreamself and especially my god-tiered self have some memories from a doomed timeline in the game. 

TT: It stretched on for about four months before the Dave that became Davesprite went back in time to correct it, which is probably why so much of it stuck around. 

GC: W3LL W3 W3R3 1N TH3 G4M3 FOR THR33 P3R1G33S 

GC: SO 1 GU3SS 1T WOULDNT H4V3 M4D3 MUCH D1FF3R3NC3 TO US 1F W3 W3R3 STUCK 1N 4 DOOM3D T1M3L1N3 FOR TH4T LONG

GC: BUT TH3R3 W3R3 OBV1OUSLY 4 LOT OF DOOM3D T1M3L1N3S B3C4US3 R1GHT 4T TH3 3ND DOZ3NS OF 4R4D14BOTS FROM DOOM3D T1M3L1N3S SHOW3D UP

GC: BUT 1 D1DNT R3M3MB3R 4NYTH1NG FROM THOS3

GC: W1TH MY POW3RS 1 S4W 4 POT3NT1AL DOOM3D T1M3L1N3

GC: BUT ONLY ONC3

TT: And that would have been only a possibility, not an actual sequence of events that came to pass. 

TT: So not true memories, just knowledge of what could have been.

GC: Y34H 

GC: 3X4CTLY

TT: And what about you, Vriska?

AG: Nope!

AG: I don’t have time for looooooooser past me’s that couldn’t m8ke the cut. 

GC: 1F 3GB3RT H4DNT SHOWN UP YOU WOULDV3 D13D 

GC: 4ND 1 WOULDV3 B33N TH3 ON3 TO DO 1T

GC: 1N TH1S T1M3L1N3 4ND NOT 4NY OTH3R

AG: 8ut it DIDN’T happen, 8ecause this sorry crew still needs me! 

GC: 1 KNOW

GC: JUST K33P1NG YOU HUMBL3 >:] 

AG: <>

GC: <> !! 

TT: First of all, I believe congratulations are in order.

TT: And secondly, your answers make this situation even more perplexing. 

TT: Because Dave just told me something interesting. 

AG: Oh????????

TT: It seems that he remembers it.

TT: The alpha timeline, before it was retconned. 

AG: Now that is veryyy interesting!

AG: Are you sure? 

TT: He said that he occasionally remembers fragments of other timelines, presumably to keep himself from repeating the same mistakes ad infinitum.

TT: But this time around, he seems to remember all of you, to a degree that shouldn’t be possible from a doomed timeline inside of the game.

TT: And Vriska, he specifically said that he didn’t remember anything about you, though he remembered at least something about everyone else on the meteor.

TT: Which would mean it was a timeline in which the two of you never had any meaningful interactions.

TT: Almost as if you were dead. 

GC: TH4T SHOULDNT B3 HOW H1S POW3RS WORK THOUGH

GC: TH1S W4SNT 4 DOOM3D T1M3L1NE

GC: 1T W4S OV3RWR1TT3N 3NT1R3LY

GC: TH3R3S NO T1M3L1N3 TO B3 DOOM3D B3C4US3 NON3 OF 1T 3V3R H4PP3N3D 1N TH3 F1RST PL4C3

AG: And how come he remem8rs anything, when two Seers and two Light players can’t? 

GC: ...

GC: M4BY3 1 COULD R3M3MB3R 1T

GC: 1 F33L L1K3 1 SHOULD B3 4BL3 TO

GC: 1F 1 COULD JUST US3 MY POW3RS B3TT3R

GC: ...BUT TH4TS PROB4BLY A D34D 3ND

GC: I 4LR34DY R34CH3D TH3 TOP OF TH3 3CCH3L4DD3R 

GC: OR 4S CLOS3 4S YOU C4N G3T W1THOUT GO1NG GOD T13R

GC: 4ND GOD T13R1NG 1S NO LONG3R 4N OPT1ON 

GC: FOR OBV1OUS R34SONS

AG: Come on, don’t 8e such a quitter! 

AG: We have more than a sweep to tr8n! 

GC: TH4T L4ST 8 W4S A B1T OF 4 STR3TCH >:/

GC: BUT 1T ST1LL T4ST3S L1K3 4 D3L1C1OUS BLU3B3RRY SO 1 W1LL FORG1VE YOU!!

AG: You’re welcome. ::::) 

TT: I must admit that I’m curious.

TT: What does my text color taste like to you?

GC: NOT TH3 WORST NOT TH3 B3ST 

GC: K1ND OF L1K3 SOM3 OF TH3 FLOW3RS TH4T US3D TO GROW 4ROUND MY H1VE

GC: 1 TR13D TO 34T 4 F3W OF TH3M WH3N 1 W4S 4 WR1GGL3R 4ND 1 THR3W UP TH3 R3ST OF TH3 N1GHT

GC: 1 H4D TH3 FLOW3RS 3X3CUT3D FOR TH31R CR1M3S >:)

TT: Charming. 

AG: What did Strider remem8er a8out the old timeline, anyw8y? Other than my a8sence, o8viously. 

AG: It sounded like a real mess!

TT: Most of it was simply feeling like he had known the others for a long time.

TT: It seemed to be vague impressions more than anything else.

TT: The only thing he mentioned that could become problematic was Gamzee.

TT: He said that he made him uneasy, though he wasn’t sure if that was due to his actions in the old timeline, or in this one.

TT: And to be fair, many horror movies on Earth center around murderous clowns. We’re practically raised from birth to mistrust any and all clown-like figures. 

TT: Now that I think about it, there is also a disturbingly relevant movie about a space station in which a creature roams around the air vents, killing whoever it finds.

TT: It might be nothing, and you two know Gamzee better than I do. But I thought it was worth passing on. 

AG: Don’t worry, I’ll m8ke sure to keep him in line. ::::)

AG: Anything else? I’d love to st8y and chat, 8ut Terezi and I have some plansssssssss.

GC: TH4T W4S N1N3

AG: Fuck!

TT: That’s everything urgent. We can talk about the rest at our next meeting.

TT: For now, enjoy your plans times eight. 

\-- tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering strategy sisters!!!!!!!! --

\---

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] started pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] \--

TG: fuck wrong button

TG: whoops

CG: AND LOOK WHO THE MEOWBEAST DRAGGED IN.

CG: I WONDER WHY MY HUSKTOP JUST SCREECHED LIKE A FEATHERBEAST BEING CULLED? WHAT CRITICAL MESSAGE WAS JUST DELIVERED? WOW, I’D BETTER PEEL MY MISERABLE GANDERBULBS OPEN FROM MY FIRST ESCAPE INTO THE UNCONSCIOUS IN OVER A WEEK TO SEE WHAT IT IS!

CG: WOW, I SURE HOPE MY FRIENDS ARE ALL CULLING EACH OTHER AGAIN!! THAT WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN TO WAKE UP TO!

TG: dude do you have a special little ringtone set for me or something

TG: all of a sudden its getting pretty steamy in here

TG: oh mr vantas how forward of you 

CG: VJDFSLGJDOGJSL;KJSDALKJF

TG: a plus for coherency bro 

TG: listen id love to keep reading your love notes to me or whatever but this really was a huge fucking accident

TG: but

TG: um

TG: before you go nap again is there like any chance you remember weird timeline shit

CG: OH, HERE WE FUCKING GO!

CG: I CAN’T BELIEVE THE GAME TOOK AWAY ONE TIME PLAYER AND JUST SHOVED ANOTHER ONE INTO THIS WASTE CHUTE OF A METEOR! LUCKY BREAK FOR ME!

CG: AT LEAST ARADIA HAD THE DECENCY TO KEEP ALL OF HER DOOM AND GLOOM TIME FUCKERY MOSTLY TO HERSELF. 

CG: SO TELL ME, IS IT EIGHTEEN EVIL JACKS FROM OTHER TIMELINES HERE TO SMASH OUR SKULLS IN? ANOTHER UNBEATABLE BOSS? ARE YOU HERE FROM THE FUTURE WHERE MY BLOODPUSHER COLLAPSES BENEATH THE STRAIN OF DEALING WITH YOU CHUCKLEFUCKS? I’M ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT!

TG: chill out dude

TG: im kinda freaking out here

TG: and it would be super cool if you stopped talking about your nasty alien heart for like one second

CG: YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY FROM THE FUTURE WHERE WE’RE ALL DEAD, RIGHT?

TG: nah i dont time travel anymore that ship fucking sailed 

TG; if any of you motherfuckers die thats between you and that frog thats also the universe 

TG: but you were there when john popped in from the old alpha timeline right

CG: OH, DON’T GET ME FUCKING STARTED. 

TG: so thats a yes then

CG: WHY DON’T YOU GO ASK HIM?

CG: OH, WAIT, HE DITCHED BOTH OF US!

TG: harsh

TG: anyway 

TG: clearly he remembered everything that happened because he actually lived it

TG: but

TG: do you

CG: DO I *WHAT?*

TG: remember it 

TG: or like

TG: me

CG: SO YOU’RE ASKING ME IF I REMEMBER *YOU* FROM A TIMELINE THAT NEVER EVEN FUCKING HAPPENED? 

TG: yeah 

TG: how many more ways do i have to say it jesus 

CG: THE UNIVERSE NEVER STOPS PUNISHING ME FOR HATCHING. 

TG: is that a yes

CG: FUCKING HELL.

CG: WHAT DO YOU *WANT* FROM ME STRIDER? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK YOU’RE TRYING TO DIG FOR HERE! YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE THIS IS SOME SCHOOLFEED QUIZ FOR WIGGLERS, BUT YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY MAKING ANY SENSE!

CG: TELL ME, OH WISE TIME GOD, WHY THE *FUCK* I WOULD REMEMBER YOU FROM A TIMELINE THAT, LIKE I ALREADY FUCKING SAID, NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED! 

TG: im not hearing a no

CG: FUCK YOU! 

CG: HOW ABOUT YOU OPEN YOUR HIDEOUS MOUTH AND TELL ME WHY THE BLISTERING FUCK YOU’RE ASKING ME ABOUT THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE. 

TG: i mean if you want me to make this embarrassing as shit for both of us

TG: i do

TG: remember you i guess

CG: SIGH.

CG: LET ME FUCKING GUESS, IN THE OLD TIMELINE YOU GOT SICK OF MY SHIT HALF A SWEEP IN AND DECAPITATED ME WITH YOUR SHITTY GODDAMN SWORD.

TG: not

TG: exactly 

TG: listen its not like i have a playbook of everything that happened last time its all vague shit

TG: like

TG: how im getting the sense that i should say hey lets go to can town

TG: i know time shit wasnt your thing but you dont fuck around and ignore future feelings dude you just go with them its better for everybody that way

CG: WHAT IN THE CROTCH BLISTERING *FUCK* IS *CAN TOWN?*

CG: ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE STOREROOM? 

CG: I THOUGHT THAT THE DEAD CARAPACIAN THAT GOT DUMPED HERE TOOK IT OVER AFTER HE WAS REVIVED. 

TG: yeah actually i dont know what the fuck it is either

TG: seems important though

TG: if you arent too pussy to fight a chess guy for his territory we should

TG: go look at it later

CG: WELL, CLEARLY YOU’VE ALREADY RUINED MY ONLY CHANCE AT SLEEP UNTIL I FINALLY COLLAPSE AGAIN NEXT WEEK. SO.

CG: FINE! 

CG: I HOPE YOU TRIP ON YOUR STUPID CAPE AND DIE ON THE WAY OVER. 

CG: BUT I’LL BE THERE IN AN HOUR.

TG: sick 

TG: you never answered my question though

TG: about if you remember me

TG: im not asking for like

TG: a dramatic seance where a doomed vantas possess your body and crawls up the walls head spinning around talking about whatever dumb shit we did last time around

TG: but do you really not have like

TG: a vague feeling about

TG: i dunno

TG: us

CG: I DON’T WANT TO FUCKING TALK ABOUT IT.

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling turntechGodhead [TG] \--

\---

\-- tentacleTherapist [TT] continued pestering turntechGodhead [TG] \--

TT: I spoke to Terezi and Vriska. 

TG: sorry for your loss 

TT: Neither of them remember anything from the former timeline.

TT: Terezi thinks it may be possible for her to, eventually, if she can better harness her powers as a Seer of Mind.

TT: Though I’m not entirely sure if she meant earnestly remembering it, or if she would only be able to examine what it likely would have looked like based off of the decisions she originally made. 

TG: damn

TG: i talked to karkat 

TT: Did you, now.

TT: How did it go? 

TG: he

TG: um

TT: Your hesitance here speaks to something *very* interesting. 

TG: he doesnt remember anything

TT: Oh, I’m sorry. Are you sure? 

TG: its not a big deal

TG: youre sure you really dont remember anything 

TT: Yes, I’m afraid.

TT: I would have pegged Terezi or Vriska as the other most likely members of the meteor to remember things, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

TT: Though we should ask everyone else about this, just to be sure.

TT: I’ll speak to Kanaya about it later over dinner. 

TT: So, the only one left to ask is Gamzee.

TT: I call not it.

TG: dammit 

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] \--

\---

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] started pestering terminallyCapricious [TC] \-- 

TG: hey

TG: so this is a fucking terrible idea

TG: but honk twice if you remember

TG: uh

TG: idk what you got up to actually

TG: honk if um

TG: you remember

TG: things that havent happened yet

TG: and wont actually ever happen 

TG: k thanks bye 

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering terminallyCapricious [TC] \--

TC: honk.

TC: HONK. :o)

\---

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] started pestering grimAuxiliatrix [GA] \--

TG: hey whats up on a scale of one to ten how confident are you that you could chainsaw the clown before he murdered me

TG: just a fun hypothetical cause we dont talk enough thats all

GA: Do You Actually Want A Numerical Answer From Me

GA: Highbloods Are Extremely Fast

GA: But When Properly Motivated So Are Rainbow Drinkers

GA: However I Was Actually In The Middle Of Something When Your Hatchmate Informed Me That She Had To Go Deal With A Crisis Of Yours

GA: So I Am Getting The Feeling That This Question Is Not Very Hypothetical At All

GA: If Gamzee Is In A Rage Again I Will Kill Him That Is Not A Problem For Me

TG: no jesus shit hes fine

TG: or i guess he is maybe hes honking his way over here rn how would i know what he does 

TG: will keep you updated 

GA: Please Do

GA: And To Answer Your Question I Would Say A Solid 8

GA: 6 If He Was Able To Surprise Me 

TG: damn

TG: was kinda hoping youd say ten maryam 

GA: Well If He Had Hurt One Of My Friends Again

GA: I Do Think That Number Would Rise Swiftly To 10 

GA: But I Would Rather Not Dwell On That Possibility 

GA: Karkat Would Likely Be Quite Badly Affected By Gamzee’s Death Or I Probably Would Have Hunted Him Down Already

TG: didnt he already murder two of your friends though

TG: i know you guys come from a death planet or something but thats pretty bad 

GA: Well If We Were On The “Death Planet” His Murders Would Have Been Completely Permissible As Both Of His Victims Were Lower On The Hemospectrum Than Him

GA: And With The Feud Between Land And Seadwellers He Likely Could Be Forgiven For Attacking Those Higher On The Spectrum Than Him As Well

TG: wow thats bullshit 

GA: I Suppose It Is

TG: why would karkat give a fuck if a dude like that bit it 

TG: im not saying go chainsaw him but still 

GA: Well

GA: Perhaps It Is Not My Place To Gossip But This Is Something That Would Have Been Quite Obvious If You Had Known Everyone Before This Mess

GA: He And Gamzee Were Very Nearly Palemates

TG: thats alien romance right 

GA: Yes

GA: In A Traditional Moirallegiance Karkat Would Have Soothed Gamzee’s Rage And Perhaps Some Unpleasant Circumstances Could Have Been Avoided

GA: But There Were Some Complicating Factors 

GA: And In The End Vriska Used Her Psychic Powers To Artificially Subdue Him

GA: So After That Point Any Moirallegiance They Could Have Had Was Dead In The Water So To Speak

GA: It Probably Did Not Help That At The Time Gamzee Was Wearing Trophies From His Kills And Was Displaying The Severed Heads Of Several Of Karkat’s Good Friends 

TG: jesus christ 

GA: The Pale Quadrant Is Built On Great Mutual Trust And Care

GA: And While The Trust Between The Two Of Them Likely Evaporated That Night

GA: It Is Not Quite As Easy To Stop Caring For Someone 

GA: Especially In The Case Of Karkat Who Has The Reputation Of Being At Least A Little Bit Pale For Most Of The People That He Cares About

GA: Perhaps I Have Said Too Much I Do Not Want To Embarrass Him

GA: My Point Was That It Has Only Been Half A Perigee Since This Happened Between The Two Of Them And To Kill Gamzee Now Would Hurt Karkat Deeply

GA: So I Would Like To Avoid It If Possible

GA: And Would Recommend Against You Riling Gamzee Up

GA: I Have Little Desire To Auspitize The Two Of You 

TG: yeah okay no alien romance youve got it id rather not talk to the juggalo again anyway

TG: and im not gonna bully karkat over the stuff you said

TG: because first off i only understood maybe half of it

TG: and hes got so many way easier targets i dont have to hit him in the emotional trauma when he practically gives me new material every time he opens his mouth

GA: Thank You

TG: can i do kind of a weird segway here

GA: I Am Not Sure How I Could Stop You

TG: has karkat ever said anything about me to you

GA: He Thinks That You Are Annoying

TG: hell yeah pull no punches

GA: How Else Was I Supposed To Deliver That Information

GA: Are There A Sufficient Number Of Words I Could Have Added To That Statement To Make It Somehow Not Mean Exactly That 

TG: fair enough i guess 

GA: Did You Truly Message Me To Ask About Gamzee 

GA: Or Was Your True Aim To Discuss Karkat 

TG: remind me to never talk to both you and rose at once the universe would collapse under the force of your raised eyebrows 

TG: not everything i say has some double meaning 

GA: It Was Just A Question

GA: You Do Not Have To Get All Dramatic About It

TG: your best friend is karkat you dont get to criticize me for being dramatic 

GA: Fair Enough

GA: He Does Enjoy His Yelling 

TG: haha yeah

TG: maybe this is a long shot

TG: and ive already been properly yelled at for being a vague asshole about this so

TG: basically i think i remember shit from before this timeline was retconned

TG: and im pretty sure he does too 

TG: but nobody else seems to 

TG: its driving me insane

GA: Hm

GA: Well It May Be Due To The Nature Of My Aspect But I Have Never Remembered Anything From Other Timelines 

GA: I Was Not Aware That Was A Common Phenomenon 

TG: yeah rose will give you the rundown later dont tell her i beat her to the exposition you know she loves that shit 

TG: but ive remembered stuff from other timelines sometimes but thats just time powers for ya 

TG: also i god tiered through my dream self and i think that might have done some bullshit with my memories since timeline shit sticks to those guys sometimes 

TG: who knows with this goddamn game 

TG: so yeah

TG: i remember stuff about everybody just vague impressions from a dave who no longer exists i guess 

GA: May I Ask What You Remember About Me

TG: not a lot to be honest i just get chill vibes from you

TG: like ive known you for a while 

GA: That Does Not Sound Too Awful

GA: If This Was The Crisis Rose Mentioned To Me I Was Worried It Would Be Something Terrible

TG: cant a guy just have a timeline crisis every now and then without it being a federal fucking issue 

GA: Not When We Are Also In The Timeline That Is The Subject Of The Crisis 

GA: Anyway

GA: You Said That You Do Not Remember Much About Me

GA: But What About Karkat

GA: You Seem Quite Worked Up About This

TG: im not worked up im totally chill

GA: This Is The Longest Conversation I Have Ever Had With You

GA: Not Counting The One Sided Tangents That You Work Yourself Into

GA: I Do Not Think We Would Still Be Talking About This If You Did Not View Me As Your Last Avenue For Information 

GA: I Am Still Trying To Decide If I Should Provide It 

TG: i guess you told me a bunch of shit about karkat so itd be kind of unfair if i left you with fucking nothing

TG: just promise me none of this gets passed on to rose 

GA: I Think We Both Know That Would Be An Empty Promise

GA: However If This Is Truly Deeply Sensitive Information I Can Make An Effort 

TG: i mean i guess its not

TG: and i said a bunch of embarrassing shit to her already

TG: so whatever lets just pretend that you said yeah dave of course i would never scheme with rose how dare you accuse me blah blah blah

GA: Yeah Dave Of Course I Would Never Scheme With Rose How Dare You Accuse Me 

GA: Blah Blah Blah

TG: lmfao

GA: Do I Want To Know What That Acronym Means 

TG: probably not 

GA: Fair Enough

GA: Now Tell Me What You Remember About Karkat 

TG: man im sure rose will spill the beans later on the specifics

TG: i just remember that last time things were

TG: good

TG: i guess 

GA: Good How

TG: man i dont know 

TG: i probably shouldnt be stuck on it like i am

TG: cause i dont know what got changed and what things looked like last time

TG: obviously it must have gone pretty fucking pear shaped for john to jump back three whole years to change shit

TG: but other than a couple people on this rock i feel like things were

TG: pretty alright for me

TG: all things considered

TG: ive taken a lot of shit in the name of the timeline but apparently i didnt really last time as far as i can remember 

TG: but whos to say that all the time i spent with him wasnt a bad idea somehow

TG: what if i cant do that this time without fucking everything up

TG: were the only ones who remember shit i know he must know something or he wouldnt have been so cagey about it 

TG: and usually what i remember from old timelines

TG: is what got the old me killed 

TG: why do we both remember stuff if its not cause of that 

GA: I Did Not Offer Relevant Information Before But Perhaps I Should Now

GA: Karkat And I Had A Conversation Last Night About What Relationships We Thought Could Develop On The Meteor’s Journey

GA: I Spent Quite A Bit Of Time With Him During The Game And We Had Similar Conversations During The More Mundane Parts Of Frog Breeding

GA: I Do Not Know If It Is A Blood Player Thing As That Is A Bit Mysterious Or A Karkat Thing

GA: But He Has A Very Innate Sense For Interpersonal Connections

GA: He Was Our Team’s Leader And The Only One Out Of The Original Group That I Could Have Confidently Said Was On Speaking Terms With Every Single Member Of The Team

GA: Some Of Our Friends Simply Did Not Ever Get To Know Each Other Well

GA: And Others... 

GA: There Was Quite A Bit Of Bad Blood If You Will Pardon The Pun

GA: But Karkat Was Able To Work Around This

GA: He Understood How Messy Relationships Could Be And Could Usually Predict Which Relationships Would Form Or Break Apart

GA: I Myself Could Have Perhaps Been Spared Some Heartbreak If I Had Listened To A Particular Warning Of His When I Was A Wiggler

TG: im not trying to harsh on your tangent here because that would be pretty fucking hypocritical of me but where is this heading

TG: just so i can get my seatbelt all snug and buckled 

GA: My Apologies

GA: My Point Was That As Early As A Few Nights Into Our Journey He Had Predicted That Terezi And Vriska Were On Course To Enter A Moirallegiance

GA: Which If You Were Aware Of Their History Together You Would Likely Find Unthinkable At Least In My Opinion

GA: His Reasoning To Me Then Was That It Simply Just Made Sense

GA: He Was Very Adamant About This 

GA: And Then Last Night He Told Me That He Had Spoken With One Of Them Who Had Come In Her Infuriatingly Roundabout Way To Seek Advice For How To Best Initiate A Moirallegiance With The Other

TG: the tangent car is spinning out of control

TG: vroooom crash

TG: shouldve used my seatbelt and for that my death is just 

GA: Apologies Again

GA: It Seems I Had More To Say On This Subject Than I Thought 

GA: But Anyway

GA: Last Night After Karkat Told Me About Their Soon To Be Moirallegiance He Went On A Long Tangent About What Relationships There Had Been Before

GA: At First It Was All About Our Group’s First Attempts At Quadrants When We Were All Wigglers And This Was A Topic I Was Very Familiar With

GA: But Then With Equal Confidence

GA: He Began Describing Relationships That Had Never Happened 

GA: He Did Not Even Seem To Realize He Was Doing It 

GA: For Instance He Mentioned A Disastrous Kismesissitude Between Terezi And Gamzee That To Me Makes No Sense At All As She Seemed To Be On Quite Friendly Terms With Him Before All Of This 

GA: Though I Can Certainly Empathize With Her Disliking Him Now

GA: Karkat Went On To Describe A Failed Matespritship The Members Of Which I Can Not Disclose

GA: He Also Made An Offhand Comment About A Matespritship Between Rose And I

GA: Which I Am Quite Certain I Would Have Noticed Entering

TG: oh shit 

GA: I Tried To Interject But He Was Quite Worked Up By This Point 

GA: And He Referenced One Final Relationship

GA: A “Clusterfuck” Between The Two Of You

TG: what the fuck

GA: It Was At This Point That I Stopped Him 

GA: We Were Both Very Confused By The Turn The Conversation Had Taken And He Finally Argued His Way Into Getting Me To Drop It

GA: It Would Make Sense If He Was Remembering Pieces Of The Old Timeline

TG: jesus

TG: i

TG: if you arent telling me the truth youre getting me pretty good maryam

GA: I Am Being Entirely Honest

TG: if he said it was a clusterfuck

TG: then my theory must be right i guess

TG: something about all that fucked everything else up 

TG: god im not that self deprecating to claim that i single handedly doomed the timeline by hanging out with karkat

TG: but time shit is all about the domino effects 

GA: Clusterfuck Notwithstanding I Highly Doubt Either Of You Doomed The Timeline

GA: I Am Not Certain What Happened That Terezi Sent Your Friend Back In Time To Fix

GA: But Considering That John Only Mentioned Himself And Terezi

GA: We Can Assume That The Rest Of Us Did Not Survive

TG: yeah that makes me feel way better about all of this 

GA: Hush

GA: You Will Not Doom Us All By Spending Time With Someone That You Clearly Want To Get To Know 

TG: maybe its better to just not risk it 

GA: Well The Way I Look At It Is This

GA: Even If This Timeline Was To Be Worse Than The Last 

GA: What Would I Even Do About It

GA: I Know That You Are In A Very Different Position Than Me But Timeline Matters Are Simply Not My Problem

GA: I Am Alive

GA: Well Undead I Suppose

GA: And This Is The Only Instance Of Myself That I Am Presently And Consciously Aware Of

GA: What Else Can I Do Except Live And Make The Best Choices That I Can

GA: And Seek Happiness Wherever It Can Be Found 

TG: damn

TG: thats not bad advice i guess 

GA: Thank You 

GA: As They Say I Am Full Of It

GA: Of Good Advice I Mean

TG: lmao

GA: My Other Advice Would Be This

GA: Well I Have A Third Piece Of Advice That I Should Probably Say First

GA: This Conversation Might Be Considered By Some Trolls To Be

GA: A Little Bit Pale

TG: what but we dont even know each other really

GA: Humans Are Not Trolls

GA: Your Standards For Friendly Conversation Are Very Different Than Ours 

GA: Rose Has Taught Me To Expect This From Your Species So It Was Not A Shock Nor A Problem At All Or I Would Have Stopped You

GA: It Is Just Something To Keep In My Mind 

GA: Especially With My Second Piece Of Advice Which Is

GA: Talk To Karkat 

TG: oh shit i actually already took care of that one

TG: following your future advice and i didnt even have to time travel to do it

TG: look at me fucking go 

GA: Did You Now 

TG: yeah were practically bffs

TG: he said he hopes i die and everything 

GA: How Sentimental Of Him

TG: i know right be still my beating heart

TG: but were gonna go fuck around in can town later and i guess try not to doom existence by standing within three feet of each other 

GA: You Will Not Doom The Timeline By Standing Within Three Feet Of Karkat I Assure You

GA: I Have Done It Plenty Of Times Myself Without Incident

GA: Also What Is Can Town

TG: i have no fucking clue 

TG: universal constant i guess 

GA: Well Have Fun Exploring The Mysterious Universal Constant I Suppose 

GA: Try Not To Worry Too Much About Dooming The Timeline

GA: You Have Little Control Over The Alpha Timeline’s Whims

GA: Just Do What Makes You Happiest 

GA: And Good Luck

TG: you too

TG: ... 

TG: thanks

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering grimAuxiliatrix [GA] \--

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I know that a lot of this was based in meta and my own interpretations, so let me know if you have any questions! Also since it was super not elaborated on, Gamzee *does* know more than he should, but it's info from Doc Scratch about going to raise the cherubs and isn't actually Game Over timeline based lmao he's just a bit dramatic sometimes  
> Also I fell asleep last night in the middle of coding the html for this, so please let me know if you catch any sleepy-me errors with the logs


End file.
